Surrounded by a hedge of copper beech, a selection of ornamental-grasses and sedges has been planted and show the great variation in the size of grasses. Many grass genera display considerable variation and, therefore, several species and varieties of some of the genera have been selected for planting here. Among these, are species and varieties of genera such as, Miscanthus (silvergrass) Panicum (panic grass), Carex (sedge), Luzula (woodrush), Molinia (moor grass) and Festuca (fescue).
To provide extra colour and life in this part of the garden, particularly in the summer months, a range of perennials attractive to butterflies have been planted among the grasses; plants such as Monarda – (bergamot), Gillenia (bowman’s root), Thymus (thyme), Echinacea (coneflower) and, of course, Buddleia (butterfly bush) also grow here.
The combination of ornamental-grasses and perennials, results in an extended flowering period, beginning with the first perennials, flowering in early summer, and continuing with the ornamental-grasses, many of which retain their flowering stems throughout the winter.
The Grass Garden was established in the pre-existing soil, supplemented with sand, and covered with a layer of gravel to supress weed growth.
In this area there are many different types of large stone, most of them found in The Botanical Area in the course of the garden’s construction. However, the large, dark-grey stones at the western end of The Grass Garden are from Larvik in Norway – the largest of which weighs 11 tons.